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The Drum Major Instinct

I found a few minutes to check my blog and post. We visited and are ready to head home early tomorrow morning.

This is an excerpt from a Martin Luther King Jr. passage. Being a servant is a significant part of being a leader.

If you want to be important–wonderful. If you want to be recognized–wonderful. If you want to be great–wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s your new definition of greatness. And this morning, the thing I like about it…by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great. Because everybody can be serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve, you don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. And you can be that servant.

About ivonprefontaine

I have been an educator for almost 20 years. Prior to that, I worked in private industry for 15 years, then returned to university to earn my education degree. For the past 11 years, I have been a co-creator of learning in a unique, progressive, alternative educational school of choice. Currently, I am engaged in a doctoral program at Gonzaga University in Spokane. A main theme in my learning there has been the roles of systems thinking, complexity theory, and organizational theory, and how they apply to education generally and the learning environment I share with students, parents, and colleagues.

23 Responses »

  1. I absolutely love this. I shall henceforth make it not only my goal to love and offer hope, but to be the servant EVER!

    Reply
  2. So softly Christlike. You can never miss MLK, can you? … and a timely thought at the start of the year.

    Reply
  3. Very well said. Yes the acquiring of greatness carries great responsibilities.

    Reply
  4. Wonderful and Inspiring post.
    It is a state of mind within oneself and a redeeming force of love to be servant for ever.

    Reply
  5. Beautiful and true. Thank you!!

    Reply
  6. A Celtic archetype called Bran said in a Celtic story “let him who be chief be a bridge to his people”. This is a piece of wisdom that I consider all leaders should adopt.

    Reply
    • On the way home, Kathy and I stopped in a small bakery in Jasper. On the wall, was a painting with bridges. The quote was “There are seven billion bridges in the world.” Frequently, we think of bridges as something inorganic, but your quote and this one remind us they are alive, organic, and relational in nature.

      Reply
  7. Awesome and timely reminder of what we need always be. Thanks for sharing it. :-)

    Reply

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